A growing portion of the population, both workers and residents, dwell in increasingly tall structures, especially in dense urban areas where real estate values have inflated drastically in the past decades. Considering the increased incidence of terrorist attacks as well as the ever present threat of natural disaster and fire dangers, there exists a need for a system to facilitate the quick and safe evacuation of people, pets, and other valuables from tall structures that is safe from the dangers associated with the cause for evacuation as well as having a separate power supply from the building or structure.
Upon a power outage or other events that render building elevators dysfunctional or ineffective, people are forced to use either the stairwells, be air lifted, or use some sort of gondola as attached to the building from another building or via a vehicle on the ground. Each of these evacuation methods has limitations especially when considering smoke inhalation hazards, hot air and turbulence, or height limitations.
Numerous systems and apparatus have been invented to aid in the evacuation of such structures. U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,038 by Meller discloses a method and apparatus for rescuing occupants from high structures using replaceable cable cartridges and dynamic resistance device that includes a frame adjacent an escape portion of the high structure; a dynamic resistance device such as an air fan mounted to the frame; and a removable and replaceable cable cartridge, having a pre-wound cable, which is removably and non-rotatably coupled to a rotatable portion of the dynamic resistance device. The cable is connectable to a person to be evacuated. When the person to be evacuated goes out from the escape portion of the high structure, his descending motion causes the cable to unwind with the same linear speed as the descending speed of the person, thus causing the rotatable portion of the dynamic resistance device to rotate and to create resistance to the descending speed of the person, until the descending speed of the person reaches a substantially equilibrium value.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,782 by Lipinski discloses A high-rise fire escape device gravity operated and particularly adaptable for use in high-rise building and modern skyscraper structures. Lipinski describes an apparatus or device comprising of the combination of a vertical skid track member attached to the wall of a building with a skid which is inserted into a guide channel located in the track. As the skid moves down the guide channel of the skid track it comes into fractional contact with the biased plane frictional surface of the plurality of protruding descent retarders disposed along its vertical axis causing the descent retarder to be displaced in a horizontal direction perpendicular to direction of the skid movement. The movement of the descent retarders in a horizontal direction is resisted by means just as a plurality of springs interposed between the rear of the descent retarders and the inside the back portion of the skid track. The person or object to be rescued is strapped onto the track and lowered without the use of a vehicle or cart and is therefore not useful for valuables.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,185 by Ostrobrod discloses a descent controller for lowering a workman or other person along a vertically extending rope from an elevated position to a relatively lower position includes a friction device that may be in the form of a cylinder having a plurality of turns of rope wrapped therearound or a plurality of spaced apart horizontal bars with the rope woven between the bars. Ostrobrod goes on to discuss the use of a vertical cylindrical drum or capstan about which a rope is wound and a tapered slot through the drum for receiving and releasably gripping the rope along which descent is made. This apparatus is for a person and will not accommodate other valuables or property.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,198 by Crump discloses an outside rescue elevator system shown for use on a high-rise building comprising a dual compartment track mounted vertically on the outside of the building, and a wheeled truck operating within one of the track compartments, and a dual cable system is included with the truck for raising and lowering the truck within the track. A portable elevator cab is connected to the truck, and the cab includes a pair of stabilizing wheels, so that the cab actually rides on a smooth vertical roadbed that extends up the exterior wall of the building. The elevator cab is provided as part of a mobile unit which includes a self-propelled truck, a motor/generator set mounted on a trailer that is pulled by the truck, so that the mobile unit may be stored in a remote location such as a fire department station house, and brought to the scene of a fire emergency at one of a plurality of high-rise buildings that is serviced by this safety system.
U.S. Pat No. 4,433,752 by Gunter discloses a fire-proof rescue system for high-rise buildings comprises an upright rail fixed to a face of the building and a rescue cabin movable upwardly and downwardly of the building and having a gear engageable with the rail. The system further includes a gear transmission unit, a cable drum with a cable thereon, and a deflecting roller mounted above the rail and operative for taking up the cable from the cable drum. The transmission unit may be a gear transmission unit equipped with a motor and connected to the climb gear and to the cable drum, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,884 by Smith, Jr. discloses an emergency rescue system for use in rescuing persons trapped in the upper floors of a multistory building during emergency conditions comprising a rescue gondola suspended alongside the exterior face of the building by a suspension cable. The suspension cable is secured to a carriage at the top of the building wherein the carriage includes means for adjusting the length of the suspension cable to adjust the elevational position of the gondola, and the carriage is movable along a track at the top of the building to adjust the lateral position of the gondola.
None of these apparatus describe an emergency rescue vehicle that operates like an elevator using aerodynamics independent of power outages that will deliver people or valuables form tall building or high altitudes and protecting said people or valuables from fire or biochemical attack.
Therefore, there is a need for an emergency rescue vehicle that operates like an elevator within a protective tube via a system of aerodynamic pressure pistons, tracks, rails and independent capsules independent of power outages.
It is the object therefore of this invention to provide an Emergency Rescue Vehicle that rides on at least 2 rails with appropriate tracks thereon in parallel that are continuous from the top of a tall structure to the base of said structure with said rails being permanently attached to the structure.
It is another object of this invention to have at least one (1) but most likely a plurality of vehicles such as capsules that travel on said track with the vertical movement controlled via pressure pistons regulated by aerodynamic protocols or Straight Aerodynamics (SAD).
It is another object of this invention to provide a main shaft comprised of pistons that are staggered in a left right assemblage and connected by slanted bridges allowing said main shaft of the capsule to alternate right and left shifts guiding the vehicle to its destination.
It is yet another object of this invention that the capsule be stored in a type of closet and that said capsule is able to rotate in and out of the building through an open surface on one of the rails of the track.
It is yet another object of this invention that the totality of the rescue vehicle (track, rail, capsule, and pressure pistons) be enclosed within a large tube that is proportional to the building height in order to protect persons of valuables from smoke or bio-terrorism attacks.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a capsule with other equipment such as air conditioning, cameras, microphones, or biochemical sensors or spectrometers as desired.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide the rescue system that is flexible and able to be modified for roof rescues, attachment to emergency vehicles such as Fire Engines, etc.
It is yet another object of this invention that the vehicle or capsule is rocket propelled and GPS guided.
This and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
Items of the figures and specification:                1. Capsule        2. Tube        3. Piston        4. Rail        5. Rail Hooks        6. Slanted bridge        7. Hydraulic fluid storage container        8. Disc or platform        9. Driveshaft Hooks        10. Driveshaft        11. Capsule door        